Technology for horizontal oil drilling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEmadgNz9vI&feature=related
Horizontal Production Wells
The first of the North Slope's drilling innovations was the drilling and completion of horizontal production wells (snipped)
Coiled Tubing Units
The second innovation was the drilling and completing of wells with coiled-tubing units instead of drilling rigs (snipped)
Multilateral Wells
The third new technology was the multilateral well completion. Like a sidetrack, this involved a new well drilled off from another. (snipped)
Designer Wells
Another innovation is in designer wells. These are drilled with a high degree of precision to reach small oil targets, several small oil pockets or to reach through or around faults to isolated traps. (snipped)
Reduced Cost of New Oil
All of these new technniques have enabled oil and gas producers to develop new oil reserves on the North Slope for less than $2.50 a barrel.
By lowering the finding costs of new oil, North Slope producers have been able to compensate for other costs, such as transportation, that rise because overall production from the North Slope is falling.
It also has allowed more drilling to be done on the Slope since drilling and well completion is less expensive.
The Prudhoe Bay field alone will see about 100 new reservoir penetrations this year, about twice the number in 1985. Most are sidetracks and multilateral wells.
More Technology...
http://www.anwr.org/techno/drilling.htm
"Necessity is the mother of invention." (unknown)